Seventy percent (70%) of Americans say the media paid too much attention to the death of music superstar Michael Jackson.

Just two percent (2%) say not enough attention was focused on Jackson's death, while 23% rate the media coverage as about the appropriate amount, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

More men (77%) think the media coverage of Jackson's death was excessive than women (64%).

African-Americans are evenly divided between the coverage being too much or about right. For 76% of whites, there was too much coverage of the King of Pop's surprising death at age 50 and the subsequent memorial service in Los Angeles.

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Sixty-five percent (65%) of adults believe Jackson will be remembered more for his music than for his legal troubles, including his highly publicized trial in 2003 for child molestation. Jackson was found innocent by a jury of those charges, and just 23% say he will be remembered more for his legal problems. Eleven percent (11%) aren't sure.

Seventy percent (70%) of women say Jackson will be remembered more for his music, compared to 61% of men. Seventy-four percent (74%) of blacks think his music will outlast his legal woes, a view shared by 64% of whites.

Adults ages 30 to 49 feel slightly more strongly that he’ll be remembered for his music than do those younger and older than they are.

Jackson died on June 25 of a heart attack. A memorial service for the entertainer was held on July 7 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and was viewed by an estimated one billion people worldwide.

Jackson was the winner of 13 Grammy Awards, had 13 number one singles and sold more than 750 million records. He is also one of only 11 artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once for his membership in the Jackson 5 and then as a solo artist.

Complaints about media overkill are nothing new. In September 2007, for example, 85% of adults said the media was giving too much coverage to the death of actress Anna Nicole Smith.

The same goes for some hard news coverage. Most voters say media coverage has made the economy appear worse than it is. Fifty-four percent (54%) say the media also has overhyped the dangers of global warming.

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